Cutter-bar-lifting attachment for mowing-machines.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

F. SWARTWUUT. GUTTER BAR LIPTING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, IQOR,

Ewen/tor:

J VM Staines .Patented February 525i, 1905.

TENT

FERRIS SVAR'IWVOUT, OF XVESTERLO, NENV YRK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "783,554, dated February 28, 1905.

` Application ned August s, 1903. sel-m No. 168,067.

To all wltont it n1/my] cm2/cern:

Be it known that 1, F Ennis Swnn'rwon'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vliesterlo,county ot'Albany5 andState et New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Cutter-Bar-Litting Attachments for MowingNlachines, of which the following is a specification.

rlhe invention relates to such improvements; and it consists et the novel construction and combination of parts hereinaiter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had tothe accompanying drawings and the reference charactersmarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar characters ret'er to similar parts in both the ligures ol the drawings.

Figure l of the drawings is a view in perspective showing the improved cutter-barlit'ting mechanism applied to a well-known type ot' mowing-machine, the tongue being broken away and portions el the machine not directly connected with the present invention heilig' represented by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View illustrating various positions which the cutter-bar can be made to assume by the use of this invention.

The object o1 the invention is to enable the operator olI the niachine to at all times conw trol the position ot' the cutter-bar.

1 have shown and will proceed to describe the invention in its application to what is commonly known as a Deering ideal mowingmachine. ln this machine the trame 1 is mounted upon a truck having traction-wheels Q, connected by the axle 3, adapted to be propelled by horses attached to the tongue L1-, the operator occupying' a seat 5. The drag-bar 6 is pivoted at 7 upon the trame 1 upon a horizontal axis, whereby the drag-bar is adapted to oscillate in a vertical plane, said bar occupying a more or lees downwardly-inclined p0- sition in the normal operation et' the machine. rlhe cutter-bar 8 is swiveled upon or hinge connected with the lower swinging' end olf the drag-bar at 22 through the inner shoe S), to which the cutter-bar is fixed, the axis oit the hinge connection beinghorizontal and at right angles to the cutter-bar and drag-bar.

10 is the pitman whereby the cutterdnives are actuated.

',lhe parts above described are Yfound in the type ol mowing-machine above referred to, and their construction and manner et' operation are well understood by those skilled in the art, so that further descriiiition el. the general construction of the machine will be unnecessary for the l'purpose ot the present invention.

1n carrying out my invention in its preferred lform l pivotally mount side by side upon the tongue at 'l2 a pair of `foot-levers 13 and 1/1, each provided at its upper end with an outwardly-prejecting ifoot-rest 15 and with an inwardly-projecting foot-rest 16, adapted to lap a similar inwardly-projecting toot-rest on the other lever, said inwardly-projecting Ytoot-rests lying' side by side and being' adapted for simultaneous engagement by the same foot of the operator. The lever 3 on the right-hand side of the tongue can thus be conveniently operated bythe right Vloot of the operator applied to the outwardly-projecting tooti'est 15 thereon. '1`he lever 14 on the lett-hand side et the tongue can be in like manner operated by the left `foot el the operator applied to the outward]y-projecting Vfootrest 15 thereon, while by the application el either t'oot to the lapping inwardlyprojecting foot-rests 16 both levers can be simultaneously operated. The right-haml lever 13 is connected by a link 17 with one end ol lever 18, lulcrunied at 19 upon the tongue `forwardly ot the foot-lever, the other end ol the lever 18 being connected by a chain or cable 21) and the clip .21 directly with the drag-bar (3, embraced by said clip.

'eparate operation ot' the foot-lever 13 will through the connectingl mechanism described serve to lilt the swinging end ol the d 'agbar and the inner end ol". the cutter-bar. It will be understood that the hinge connection 22 is so constructed that the cutter-bai' is adapted to swing both upwardly and downwardly thereupon, se that when the hinge connection is lii'ted the inner end olf the cutter-bar will be likewise li'lited while its outer end remains resting upon the ground, whereby the cutter bar is caused to assume a downwardly-i nclined IOO position, which is desirablewhen passing a stone or other obstruction in the path of the inner end of the cutter-bar. The othei' footlever 14 is connected b y link 23 with one end of the lever 24, fulcrumed upon the tongue Opposite and in the same manner as the lever 18, the other end of said lever 24 being connected with a rocker-arm 25, lixed upon the cutter-bar near its hing'e connection with the drag-bar, said connection being by means of a chain or cable 26, which passes from said rocker-arm around a pulley 27, rotatively mounted upon the clip 21, lixed on the drag'- bar, and thence around pulley 28, mounted upon the tongue, to the lever 24. The footlever 14 when separately operated thus serves to exert through the connecting' mechanism a pull upon the rocker-arm 25,whereby the cutter-bar can be swung upwardly on its hinge connection 22, causing' said arm to assume an upwardly-inclined position desirable in passing a stone or other obstruction located in the path oi' the outer end thereof.

Then both levers 13 and 14 are simultaneously operated by eng'agement ot' the operators Vl'oot with both inwardly-projecting footrests 16, not only will the drag-bar and inner end of the cutter-bar and their hinge connection be elevated through the connections with the lever 13, but the lever 14 will at the same time take up the slack which would otherwise be produced in the chain 26 as the roller 27 is raised with the drag-bar, whereby the chain 26 is held taut, preventing' the cutterbar from swinging downwardly on its hinge connection, so that the cutter-bar will be raised bodily in a horizontal position, which is desirable in passing' a stone or other obstruction located in the path ot' the middle thereof.

Reference to Fig. 2 will clearly illustrate the different movements of the cutter-bar above referred to. In said figure the cutterbar is represented as restinghorizontally upon the ground, 30 being the ground-line. In the manner above described separate operation of the lever 13 will cause the cutter-bar to assume the position indicated by dotted lines 31, separate operation oi' the lever 14 will cause the cutter-bar to assume the position indicated by dotted lines 32, and simultaneous operation of both levers 13 and 14 will cause the cutterbar to assume the position indicated by dotted lines 33. r1`he lifting-spring 34, connected at one end to the lever 24 and at the other end to the frame of the machine, may be employed when desired to partly counterbalance the weight of the cutter-bar.

Vhen desired, means may be provided for detachably holding' the foot-levers 13 and 14 in a depressed position-as, for example, the hook 35, pivoted upon the tongue and adapted to engage either or both of the foot-rests 16 on the foot-levers.

An important object of my invention is to enable the occupant of the seat of the machine to control at all times during the operation of the machine the position of the cutter-bar. r1`he foot-levers are located to adapt them to be engaged by the respective feet of the seat occupant, the seat affording a resisting support for the body of the operator, whereby he is enabled to use his feet while his hands are employed in manipulating the reins and operating the various hand-levers. By means of my improved construction the occupant of the seat is enabled to instantly lift either the inner or outer end of the cutter-bar in passing over stones located in the path of such ends or to raise the bar bodily to pass a stone inthe path of the middle of the bar, and this without interfering with his other duties in operating the machine.

The lever construction above described, comprising a pair or' levers fulcrumed upon a common axis in close proximity to each other, having' mutually lapping operating members and each a separate unlapped operating member, may be employed in various situations where movements similar to those herein set forth are desired.

WV hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with the vertically oscillatory drag-bar; and the cutter-bar hinge connected therewith to swing freely to a substantially unlimited degree both upwardly and downwardly from horizontal position; oi' a pair of toot-levers fulcrumed upon the frame of the machine adapted to be simultaneously engaged by the respective feet ot' the occupant of the machine-seat; mechanism connected with one of said levers and connected directly with the drag-bar whereby the latter may be elevated and supported by and under control of one foot of the seat occupant at different elevations and whereby the inner end only of the cutter-bar may be lifted; and mechanism connecting' the other of said levers with the cut ter-bar whereby the latter may be swung upwardly on said hinge connection and supported by and under control ot' the seat occupants other foot at various degrees of inclination, substantially as described.

2. In a machine oi' the class described, and in combination, the truck and pole; the vertically-oscillatory drag-bar; the cutter-bar; the hinge connection between the drag-bar and cutter-bar adapted to permit either end of the cutter-bar to assume a position above the plane of its other end; lifting mechanism connected directly with said drag-bar whereby the cutter-bar-connected end of the'same can be elevated with said hinge connection above the plane of the outer end of the cutter-bar; a pulley mounted on the cutter-bar-connected end of the drag-bar; a pulley mounted upon said pole; a rocker-arm fixed upon said cutter-bar; a lever fulcrumed upon the frame of the machine adapted for operation either separately IOO IIO

'teatri/i 4or simultaneously with said liftingl mechanism; and operatingeonnections between said lever and rocker-arm consisting1 in part olI a chain or cable passing' around both of said pulleys.

ln a machine of the class described, the combination with a cutter-bar; oi" a pair o'l t'oot-levers fulcrumed side by side, each having,` a foot-rest on its outer side, and having,` on the inner side mutually-lapping,I foot-rests adapted for simultaneous engagement by the same foot; and connections whereby the outer end et' the cutter-bar can be elevated by separate operation of one, and its inner end by separate operation of the other, oi said levers, and whereby the bar can be bodily elevated by simultaneous operation of both levers, substantially as described.

et. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a cutter-bar; of a pair ol foot-levers fulcrumed side by side, each having a Afoot-rest on its outer side, and having` on the inner side mutually-laplviing `foot-rests 

